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The clearing of native vegetation on private agricultural land has contributed greatly to the loss of ecosystems and biodiversity worldwide. Native vegetation on private land may be cleared for a variety of reasons, of which the expansion of agriculture is only one. In this study, we investigate how the clearing of native vegetation on private land is influenced by (1) the utilitarian, social and hedonic objectives of landholders and (2) the way in which the presence of native vegetation interacts with the farm system to contribute to, or detract from, achieving those objectives. Using data from a survey of agricultural landholders in New South Wales, Australia, we found that the landholders' management of native vegetation was strongly influenced by their perceptions of the opportunities and threats the native vegetation on their properties presented to them. The implications are drawn for predicting the clearing of native vegetation and designing effective policy interventions to influence the extent of clearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clearing of native vegetation on private agricultural land has contributed greatly to the loss of ecosystems and biodiversity worldwide. Native vegetation on private land may be cleared for a variety of reasons, of which the expansion of agriculture is only one. In this study, we investigate how the clearing of native vegetation on private land is influenced by (1) the utilitarian, social and hedonic objectives of landholders and (2) the way in which the presence of native vegetation interacts with the farm system to contribute to, or detract from, achieving those objectives. Using data from a survey of agricultural landholders in New South Wales, Australia, we found that the landholders’ management of native vegetation was strongly influenced by their perceptions of the opportunities and threats the native vegetation on their properties presented to them. The implications are drawn for predicting the clearing of native vegetation and designing effective policy interventions to influence the extent of clearing.

Following the failure to fully achieve any of the 20 Aichi biodiversity targets, the future of biodiversity rests in the balance. The Convention on Biological Diversity's Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) presents the opportunity to preserve nature's contributions to people (NCPs) for current and future generations by conserving biodiversity and averting extinctions. There is a need to safeguard the tree of life—the unique and shared evolutionary history of life on Earth—to maintain the benefits it bestows into the future. Two indicators have been adopted within the GBF to monitor progress toward safeguarding the tree of life: the phylogenetic diversity (PD) indicator and the evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered (EDGE) index. We applied both to the world's mammals, birds, and cycads to show their utility at the global and national scale. The PD indicator can be used to monitor the overall conservation status of large parts of the evolutionary tree of life, a measure of biodiversity's capacity to maintain NCPs for future generations. The EDGE index is used to monitor the performance of efforts to conserve the most distinctive species. The risk to PD of birds, cycads, and mammals increased, and mammals exhibited the greatest relative increase in threatened PD over time. These trends appeared robust to the choice of extinction risk weighting. EDGE species had predominantly worsening extinction risk. A greater proportion of EDGE mammals (12%) had increased extinction risk compared with threatened mammals in general (7%). By strengthening commitments to safeguarding the tree of life, biodiversity loss can be reduced and thus nature's capacity to provide benefits to humanity now and in the future can be preserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected Areas are a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation policies, providing significant benefits both for nature and people. This study investigates the diversity, extent, and social and spatial distribution of the social outcomes of the Eifel National Park in Germany and how these are linked with the level of public support for the park, as well as the effect of COVID-19 on these social impacts. Structured questionnaires were distributed to local residents living inside or near the national park. According to our study the national park is rated positively by the majority of respondents, and provides a range of benefits, but also costs, to local communities. There are also variations in how these impacts are distributed across different sub-communities, between residents and visitors, and across geographical locations in and around the park, and there is a significant relationship between local people's perceptions of some social impacts and their level of support for the national park's existence. Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that, whilst living in close proximity to the park enhances the quality of life of local residents, any future increases in tourism may need careful planning and management if they are not to erode local people's quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity decline undermines the conditions for life on Earth resulting in calls for transformative governance of biodiversity. Under the Convention on Biological Diversity, national biodiversity strategies provide the primary mechanism through which governments demonstrate their conservation efforts. With many countries due to develop new strategies under the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, it is timely to assess existing ones to identify policy design elements that could be 'ratcheted up' to meet the transformative agenda. This article analyzes and compares the policy designs of national biodiversity strategies in Australia, France and Sweden. We cover problem framing, policy goals, targeted groups, implementing agents, and policy instruments, to draw lessons on how national strategies can be designed to further support transformation of biodiversity governance. We identify elements in these strategies that can be used to inspire future ones: a negotiated framing of biodiversity and participatory processes in France, nested and integrated goals, targets and measures in Sweden, and an engagement with indigenous knowledge in Australia. However, to bring about transformative change, the analysis also shows the need for novel and fundamental re-designs to successfully target indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, shift power relations, and make biodiversity conservation a priority rather than an option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

France has made considerable progress on biodiversity policy in the last 15 years. However, the literature on French environmental politics remains unclear as to how effective this progress has been and what kind of political context has conditioned this progress. To answer these questions, I present here four discourses that characterize French biodiversity politics, discourses that have emerged from a documentary analysis, stakeholder interviews, and participatory event observations. I show that progress is conditioned by three discursive factors: the dominance of ecological modernization discourse, which only goes so far in enabling progress and transition; the continuing importance of economic development discourse, which is reluctant to further biodiversity conservation; and the limited prominence of two more radical discourses, ecological solidarity and ecological collapse, which are not taken up by the government but benefit from significant support in civil society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity knowledge is communicated by scientists to policymakers at the biodiversity “science-policy interface” (SPI). Although the biodiversity SPI is the subject of a growing body of literature, gaps in our understanding include the efficacy of mechanisms to bridge the interface, the quality of information exchanged between science and policy, and the inclusivity of stakeholders involved. To improve this understanding, we surveyed an important but under-studied group—biodiversity policymakers and scientific advisors representing their respective countries in negotiations of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). We found that a wide variety of SPI mechanisms were being used. Overall, they were considered to be sufficiently effective, improving over time, and supplied with information of adequate quality. Most respondents, however, agreed that key actors were still missing from the biodiversity SPI.

Restoration of keystone species, such as large herbivores, is crucial in repairing natural process in ecosystems and responding to the global biodiversity loss. These efforts however face many ecological, social and political challenges. In the context of the on-going update of the IUCN European Bison Action Plan this paper examines conservation discourses that are crucial for understanding challenges and opportunities in bison reintroduction and species restoration in general. The European bison was almost exterminated before many organizations' efforts to save it in the 20th century. Although the history of bison has been a conservation success story, currently there is an urgent need for innovative solutions to accommodate its growing population on the densely populated continent. There are numerous points of disagreements among bison conservationists, such as the degree of human intervention, ethical consideration regarding hunting, the uses of various types of knowledge in decision-making, and finding conflict-free spaces for bison in contemporary European landscapes. This study systematically explores the various perspectives of experts from 18 countries regarding the priorities for European bison conservation. To this end, we applied Q-method online survey targeting scientists and wildlife managers. We identified three perspectives on the bison conservation: 'participatory conservation of an iconic species', 'stewardship and control of vulnerable bison', and 'hands-off approach for restoring bison ecology'. The identified discourses show how bison conservation is evolving from traditional conservation narratives based on distinction between intrinsic and instrumental values towards innovative ideas inspired by rewilding narratives. However, the dilemmas of human-bison coexistence remain. • Need for innovative solutions to accommodate growing population of European bison on densely populated continent. • Existence of three distinct perspectives among international experts on European bison conservation. • Influence of rewilding on the debates in updating European bison Action Plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of widespread biodiversity loss, the issue of ecological connectivity has become increasingly important in recent decades at EU level. This growing attention can be observed in particular in biodiversity strategies or certain directives, in the establishment of key programmes or in the mobilisation of various types of funds. However, there is currently no EU framework that explicitly obliges member states to address the issue or to achieve certain objectives in this field. This article first shows how ecological connectivity has gradually emerged as a spatial planning issue, in particular through national/federal and/or regional legislative developments, in different countries (Germany, Italy and France). A focus on the French context and its Green and Blue Network Policy then depicts the implementation challenges observed in spatial planning at the regional, sub-regional and local levels. The paper highlights the difficulty of establishing a standardised framework for ecological connectivity, which implies considering the complexity of wildlife in spatial planning procedures in which potentially divergent interests intersect. • Owing to its land-related, integrative and multiscale nature, spatial planning is commonly seen as a relevant policy field to address ecological connectivity (EC). • Spatial planning is also a sensitive field as national, regional and local governments consider it as an important area of their sphere of competence. • The top-down policy implementation approach thus proves to be hardly adapted for addressing the EC issue. • The EU and Member States promote actions in favour of EC without establishing legal frameworks as directly binding as for other biodiversity policies. • This relative latitude provided to lower-level governments and planning authorities involves a very heterogeneous implementation of EC policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Convention on Biological Diversity is defining the goals that will frame future global biodiversity policy in a context of rapid biodiversity decline and under pressure to make transformative change. Drawing on the work of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, we argue that transformative change requires the foregrounding of Indigenous peoples' and local communities' rights and agency in biodiversity policy. We support this argument with four key points. First, Indigenous peoples and local communities hold knowledge essential for setting realistic and effective biodiversity targets that simultaneously improve local livelihoods. Second, Indigenous peoples' conceptualizations of nature sustain and manifest CBD's 2050 vision of "Living in harmony with nature." Third, Indigenous peoples' and local communities' participation in biodiversity policy contributes to the recognition of human and Indigenous peoples' rights. And fourth, engagement in biodiversity policy is essential for Indigenous peoples and local communities to be able to exercise their recognized rights to territories and resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large mammals (megafauna) are disproportionately important for ecosystem functioning and biodiversity, but have been lost to disproportionate degrees, mostly in prehistoric times. Against the background of scientific knowledge regarding the state of ecosystems before a man-made wave of extinctions significantly reduced the numbers and diversity of megafauna on most continents, this article examines how (inter)national law and policy relate to efforts to restore large herbivores, omnivores and carnivores to terrestrial ecosystems around the world. Such megafauna rewilding, involving the (re)introduction of vanished species or proxies thereof, poses significant challenges to current laws and policies at national and domestic levels. These tend to have institutionalised a collective amnesia and myopia regarding what is 'natural' and 'indigenous'. The success of future megafauna restoration efforts will partly depend on an understanding of what it takes to navigate, adjust or redesign applicable legal frameworks, and the article tables a research agenda to that end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Signatory countries to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are formulating goals and indicators through 2050 under the post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Among the goals is increasing the integrity of ecosystems. The CBD is now seeking input toward a quantifiable definition of integrity and methods to track it globally. Here, we offer a schema for using Earth observations (EO) to monitor and evaluate global forest ecosystem integrity (EI). Our approach builds on three topics: the concept of EI, the use of satellite‐based EO, and the use of “essential biodiversity variables” to monitor and report on it. Within this schema, EI is a measure of the structure, function, and composition of an ecosystem relative to the range of variation determined by climatic–geophysical environment. We use evaluation criteria to recommend eight potential indicators of EI that can be monitored around the globe using Earth Observations to support the efforts of nations to monitor and report progress to implement the post‐2020 GBF. If operationalized, this schema should help Parties to the CBD take action and report progress on achieving ecosystem commitments during this decade.

Signatory countries to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are formulating goals and indicators through 2050 under the post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Among the goals is increasing the integrity of ecosystems. The CBD is now seeking input toward a quantifiable definition of integrity and methods to track it globally. Here, we offer a schema for using Earth observations (EO) to monitor and evaluate global forest ecosystem integrity (EI). Our approach builds on three topics: the concept of EI, the use of satellite‐based EO, and the use of "essential biodiversity variables" to monitor and report on it. Within this schema, EI is a measure of the structure, function, and composition of an ecosystem relative to the range of variation determined by climatic–geophysical environment. We use evaluation criteria to recommend eight potential indicators of EI that can be monitored around the globe using Earth Observations to support the efforts of nations to monitor and report progress to implement the post‐2020 GBF. If operationalized, this schema should help Parties to the CBD take action and report progress on achieving ecosystem commitments during this decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract It is nearly three decades since the world recognized the need for a global multilateral treaty aiming to address accelerating biodiversity loss. However, biodiversity continues to decline at a concerning rate. Drawing on lessons from the implementation of the current strategic plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the 2010 Aichi Targets, we highlight three interlinked core areas, which require attention and improvement in the development of the post‐2020 Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity. They are: (1) developing robust theories of change which define agreed, adaptive plans for achieving targets; (2) using models to evaluate assumptions and effectiveness of different plans and targets; and (3) identifying the common but differentiated responsibilities of different actors/states/countries within these plans. We demonstrate how future multilateral agreements must not focus only on what needs to be done but also on how it should be done, using measurable steps, which make sense at the scales at which biodiversity change happens.

It is nearly three decades since the world recognized the need for a global multilateral treaty aiming to address accelerating biodiversity loss. However, biodiversity continues to decline at a concerning rate. Drawing on lessons from the implementation of the current strategic plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the 2010 Aichi Targets, we highlight three interlinked core areas, which require attention and improvement in the development of the post‐2020 Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity. They are: (1) developing robust theories of change which define agreed, adaptive plans for achieving targets; (2) using models to evaluate assumptions and effectiveness of different plans and targets; and (3) identifying the common but differentiated responsibilities of different actors/states/countries within these plans. We demonstrate how future multilateral agreements must not focus only on what needs to be done but also on how it should be done, using measurable steps, which make sense at the scales at which biodiversity change happens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores to what extent and in what ways conceptual innovations matter for biodiversity governance. A three-step analysis is employed, starting with identifying theoretical insights on how concepts matter for transformative change. These insights provide a lens for examining the academic debate on the Ecosystem Services concept and for identifying critical conceptual challenges related to transformative change. Finally, how the concept is used and valued in policy practice is explored through an empirical study of policy practitioners in Sweden. Based on this investigation we conclude that the ES concept holds important but restricted properties for transformative change. The ES concept provides new meanings in the form of economic valuation of nature, but these remain highly contested and difficult to practice; ES function as a boundary object, but poorly integrates social analysis and, in practice engages professionals, rather than resulting in more inclusive public participation; and ES function performatively by reflecting a technocratic ideal and raising awareness rather than targeting fundamental political challenges. Finally, the paper returns to the general questions of how conceptual innovations can generate transformative change and argues that in the continued work of conceptually developing the Nature's Contribution to People, researchers and practitioners need to pay close attention to interpretive frames, political dimensions, and institutional structures, necessitating a strong role for social analysis in this process of conceptual innovation.

Resilient pollination services depend on sufficient abundance of pollinating insects over time. Currently, however, most knowledge about the status and trends of pollinators is based on changes in pollinator species richness and distribution only.Systematic, long‐term monitoring of pollinators is urgently needed to provide baseline information on their status, to identify the drivers of declines and to inform suitable response measures.Power analysis was used to determine the number of sites required to detect a 30% change in pollinator populations over 10 years. We then evaluated the full economic costs of implementing four national monitoring schemes in the UK: (a) professional pollinator monitoring, (b) professional pollination service monitoring, (c) volunteer collected pan traps and (d) volunteer focal floral observations. These costs were compared to (a) the costs of implementing separate, expert‐designed research and monitoring networks and (b) the economic benefits of pollination services threatened by pollinator loss.Estimated scheme costs ranged from £6,159/year for a 75‐site volunteer focal flower observation scheme to £2.7 M/year for an 800‐site professional pollination service monitoring network. The estimated research costs saved using the site network as research infrastructure range from £1.46–4.17 M/year. The economic value of UK crop yield lost following a 30% decline in pollinators was estimated at ~£188 M/year.Synthesis and applications. We evaluated the full costs of running pollinator monitoring schemes against the economic benefits to research and society they provide. The annual costs of monitoring are <0.02% of the economic value of pollination services that would be lost after a 30% decline in pollination services. Furthermore, by providing high‐quality scientific data, monitoring schemes would save at least £1.5 on data collection per £1 spent. Our findings demonstrate that long‐term systematic monitoring can be a cost‐effective tool for both answering key research questions and setting action points for policymakers. Careful consideration must be given to scheme design, the logistics of national‐scale implementation and resulting data quality when selecting the most appropriate combination of surveyors, methods and site networks to deliver a successful scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite one-third of New Zealand's landmass being protected as public conservation land, the country still faces significant conservation challenges. Nearly 50% of the country's landmass has been converted to pastoral farming, and biological invasions pose a sustained and growing threat to remaining biodiversity across all land tenures. Managing and protecting biodiversity on-farm provides vast opportunities to create nature-rich pastoral landscapes. A key step towards bringing about necessary behaviour change to achieve this is increasing insights into farmers' attitudes towards the value of native biodiversity on their farms. Using a questionnaire underpinned by the Theory of Planned Behaviour, we surveyed 500 sheep and beef farmers from around New Zealand as to their beliefs and attitudes and perceived barriers relating to the protection and management of native biodiversity on their farm. Although the survey respondents were largely homogenous, the surveyed group of farmers were heterogeneous in their responses. When asked about advantages associated with managing and protecting native biodiversity on their farms, 690 distinct responses were provided, spanning social (47%), environmental (34%), practical (10%), and economic (2%) themes. In contrast, identified disadvantages were fewer (530 distinct responses) and less wide-ranging in scope, clustering around economic (44%), practical (26%) and social (25%) themes. Nearly three times as many farmers stated there were no disadvantages (22%) than stated there were no advantages (8%). However, the most frequently cited disadvantages were cost and time, which were also commonly cited as barriers to managing biodiversity. Our study illustrates that sheep and beef farmers perceive may advantages in maintaining native biodiversity on-farm, but there is a clear desire for greater support in overcoming identified barriers and this will require a targeted policy response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is one of the 12 mega biodiversity centres with 2 biodiversity hotspots which are the reservoirs of plant genetic resources. India stands at 7thplace in the global agricultural biodiversity status. Among fruit and nut crops, there are about 117 cultivated species with 175 wild relatives of which only 25 species have been domesticated. Genetic resources conservation of fruit trees is intricate and complex as they are belonging to various genera and species which require specific climate. Hence, in situ and ex situ conservation can go simultaneously. The western ghat and North eastern India are centers of diversity for several important native fruits including Mango, Jackfruit and Citrus. Apart from the major fruit crops, India is home to several underutilized fruit crops. However, due to increased pressure on land use several of the wild types, which are a great source of genes governing useful traits, are disappearing. Thus, there is an urgent need to conserve them in both in situ and ex situ conditions. The genetic diversity and modes of conservation of tropical fruits are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Increasing evidence—synthesized in this paper—shows that economic growth contributes to biodiversity loss via greater resource consumption and higher emissions. Nonetheless, a review of international biodiversity and sustainability policies shows that the majority advocate economic growth. Since improvements in resource use efficiency have so far not allowed for absolute global reductions in resource use and pollution, we question the support for economic growth in these policies, where inadequate attention is paid to the question of how growth can be decoupled from biodiversity loss. Drawing on the literature about alternatives to economic growth, we explore this contradiction and suggest ways forward to halt global biodiversity decline. These include policy proposals to move beyond the growth paradigm while enhancing overall prosperity, which can be implemented by combining top‐down and bottom‐up governance across scales. Finally, we call the attention of researchers and policy makers to two immediate steps: acknowledge the conflict between economic growth and biodiversity conservation in future policies; and explore socioeconomic trajectories beyond economic growth in the next generation of biodiversity scenarios.

Increasing evidence—synthesized in this paper—shows that economic growth contributes to biodiversity loss via greater resource consumption and higher emissions. Nonetheless, a review of international biodiversity and sustainability policies shows that the majority advocate economic growth. Since improvements in resource use efficiency have so far not allowed for absolute global reductions in resource use and pollution, we question the support for economic growth in these policies, where inadequate attention is paid to the question of how growth can be decoupled from biodiversity loss. Drawing on the literature about alternatives to economic growth, we explore this contradiction and suggest ways forward to halt global biodiversity decline. These include policy proposals to move beyond the growth paradigm while enhancing overall prosperity, which can be implemented by combining top‐down and bottom‐up governance across scales. Finally, we call the attention of researchers and policy makers to two immediate steps: acknowledge the conflict between economic growth and biodiversity conservation in future policies; and explore socioeconomic trajectories beyond economic growth in the next generation of biodiversity scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program was designed as a proactive species conservation program to aid state fish and wildlife agencies in preventing nonplant species from becoming listed as threatened or endangered (T&E) under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In this paper, we use four criteria to evaluate whether the SWG Program can be considered successful: 1) value is created (increased) in the short term; 2) value is created (increased) in the long term; 3) the value created is public; and 4) the value created is the value that was intended per the original goals of the program. Our analysis indicates the SWG Program has added US $3 billion in short-term value to local economies and supported the creation of about 18,000 jobs between 2001 until 2015. We use the example of the whooping crane Grus americana to calculate the long-term value of this single T&E species as US $103.5 million annually and argue that the SWG Program helps to maintain this value through supported species-conservation activities. Next, we look at two instances of species receiving proactive SWG Program conservation dollars: the oblong rock snail Leptoxis compacta and several North American bat species (Chiroptera spp.). These species and the conservation actions that benefit them demonstrate how public value is created or maintained through services these species naturally provide that benefit human health and economic well-being. Finally, we evaluate whether the SWG Program is creating the value it was designed to create by showing that T&E spending (expenditure) growth rates decreased after the SWG Program began. We find that the decrease in spending does not correlate with fewer species being removed from consideration as a T&E candidate for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, nor does spending correlate with fewer species being delisted (taken off the list) after being listed as T&E species. Allowing for a 5-y time lag, we are also able to show that the SWG Program has been used in 55% of T&E-listed species that were later delisted under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and 24% of candidate species later removed from consideration for T&E listing as a result of recovery or better information. We argue that these results demonstrate that the SWG Program meets or is potentially meeting all four criteria for an effective public program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Apply a matrix approach of species × ecosystem service contributions to aid management decisions. • Local expert knowledge is combined with reviewed evidence on ecosystem service contributions. • Diadromous species provide a suite of ecosystem services that non-diadromous species cannot replace. • Combining expert local knowledge with literature review enhances the evidence base. • Provide a tool to support wider discussion with policy, the private sector and civil society. Historical and existing environmental and human induced pressures have negatively impacted diadromous species, as well as benefits to humans, derived from the ecosystem services these species contribute to. As species move across national boundaries, successful management is rendered a complex process. Future climate change scenarios are likely to change species distributions, further impacting management and the benefits available to people across each species range. To provide an evidence base on the contribution of eleven diadromous fish populations to ecosystem services, and so gains and losses of ecosystem service benefits in the European Atlantic Area, we completed an evidence review of available literature identified within the search strategy. We also gathered expert opinion of diadromous species contributions to ecosystem services for individual catchments across Europe, to gather the full extent of contributions. Evidence was arranged in a matrix, documenting each species ecosystem service contribution to aid communication of results and application to policy and decision makers. The evidence base provided by the literature review identified that each diadromous species contributed to provision of multiple ecosystem services. Volume of evidence available to compile the matrix was far greater for Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and brown trout Salmo trutta. All species had historically contributed to provisioning ecosystem services. However, in recent decades, declines in certain species populations has reduced opportunity for commercial fisheries, leading to contributions to cultural services such as recreational activities and cultural heritage becoming comparatively greater. Evidence of contribution to regulating ecosystem services is growing in recent years, especially transfer of nutrients from marine to freshwater environments. Inclusion of local expert knowledge enabled verification of evidence from literature, in addition to identification of important contributions of lesser studied species, to culturally important commercial fisheries and cultural heritage in European regions. Collecting expert knowledge also aided communication of ecosystem service approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan is an active player in international biodiversity politics and has ambitious domestic biodiversity targets. The government considers environmental communication crucial for reaching these. This article analyzes two major frames that state institutions employ for communicating biodiversity: traditional agricultural landscapes called satoyama and embodied mascot characters called yurukyara. Both frames attempt to reach the public by transcending the discursive reality. Employing well-established stylistic devices (court culture, Japanese cute), prestigious metanarratives (Japanese as nature people), and established institutional systems of tourism and governance, the frames have reached huge popularity. Yet awareness surveys indicate that people continue to consider biodiversity a matter of governmental policy rather than individual lifestyle. There has been a clear positive effect on the localities singled out for satoyama campaigns. However, it can be argued that the overall effect of celebratory framing coupled with pleasing aesthetics favors complacency and does not invite new forms of civic mobilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In 2015, the European Union's Birds and Habitats Directives underwent an evaluation in which selected national stakeholders provided their perspectives on the directives' implementation. Analyzing the views of different stakeholder groups from eight European member states, this study found that these views could be synthesized into three more general perspectives. The first perspective focuses on problems, indicating that these are caused by legislative drawbacks in the directives. The second perspective holds that problems are generated by improper implementation by member states. The third perspective commends the benefits of the directives in face of the existing implementation problems. Interest groups and to a minor extent governmental bodies espoused the first perspective, and environmental non-governmental organizations especially favored the third. The struggle between these three perspectives reflects ongoing debates regarding positive and negative aspects of the directives and possibilities for improving their implementation. We conclude that the relevance and impact of conservation policies should never be seen as self-evident. In order to reach the conservation goals envisaged, continuous efforts are needed to enforce and maintain environmental legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aichi Target 11 (AT11) includes the commitment of 194 governments to equitably manage protected areas (PAs) by 2020. Here we evaluate whether existing PA Management Effectiveness (PAME) and social and governance assessment tools can be used to determine if AT11 meets equity goals. We find that PAME assessment conditions are insufficiently inclusive of relevant actors and do not satisfactorily allow for a diversity of perspectives to be expressed and accounted for, both of which are essential for equitable PA management. Furthermore, none of the analysed PAME tools fully cover multidimensional equity and thus they are inadequate for assessing progress towards equitable management in PAs. The available social and governance PA assessment tools stipulate more inclusive and participatory conditions within their guidelines, and the IUCN Governance Guidelines comprehensively capture equity dimensions in PA management, but results are not comparable across sites. We conclude that available assessment tools do not provide a reliable way to track equity in PAs at global scale. The IUCN Governance Guidelines could be adjusted to achieve this goal, providing that the information collected is made globally comparable, while ensuring transparency, accountability and room for contestation, including by communities whose livelihoods are directly implicated. Ultimately, developing and deploying globally comparable measures to evaluate equity is problematic, as the process of gathering comparable data inevitably obscures information that is highly relevant to resolving equity issues at local scales. This challenge must be met, however, if nations are to achieve and report on their success at meeting AT11 by 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Making a strong case for biodiversity protection is central to meeting the biodiversity targets in international agreements such as the CBD and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Effective arguments are needed to convince diverse actors that protection is worthwhile, and can play a crucial role in closing the implementation gap between biodiversity policy targets and outcomes. Drawing on a database of arguments from 11 European case studies, along with additional interview and case study material from all 13 case studies of the BESAFE project, we analysed relationships between potential and observed effectiveness of arguments. Our results show that strong logic, robustness, and timing of arguments are necessary but not sufficient conditions for arguments to be effective. We find that use of multiple and diverse arguments can enhance effectiveness by broadening the appeal to wider audiences, especially when arguments are repeated and refined through constructive dialogue. We discuss the role of framing, bundling and tailoring arguments to audiences in increasing effectiveness. Our results provide further support for the current shift towards recognition of value pluralism in biodiversity science and decision-making. We hope our results will help to demonstrate more convincingly the value of biodiversity to stakeholders in decision processes and thus build better cases for its conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a web of different local actors, often with different perspectives and interests, turning ideas into practice for biodiversity often involves communicating, negotiating, bargaining and, therefore, argumentation. Within this process arguments are selected by actors, to achieve their goals, with varying levels of effectiveness. We examine the use of arguments in UK national biodiversity policies and at the local level from the perspective of those putting forward and receiving arguments. We assess the positive and negative framings within arguments and the effectiveness of arguments. Using interviews and formal documents as sources of data, we analyse nine argumentative interactions from a case study in the Greater Manchester area in the UK. Our findings highlight differences between arguments in national biodiversity policy and those used at the local level. We also show a link between positive framing and salient arguments that were particularly effective. In more polarised, high conflict situations the credibility of the argument, specifically how well it aligned with policy frameworks, strongly influenced its effectiveness. These findings suggest that selecting arguments that identify common ground at the local level contributes to effective outcomes by highlighting areas of mutual benefit. Where this is not possible, a strong policy framework for the conservation of biodiversity is important. A combination of bottom up and top down approaches is most likely to provide effective arguments for biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public justification for nature conservation currently rests on two pillars: hedonic (instrumental) values, and moral values. Yet, these representations appear to do little motivational work in practice; biodiversity continues to decline, and biodiversity policies face a wide implementation gap. In seven EU countries, we studied why people act for nature beyond professional obligations. We explore the motivations of 105 committed actors for nature in detail using life-history interviews, and trace these back to their childhood. Results show that the key concept for understanding committed action for nature is meaningfulness. People act for nature because nature is meaningful to them, connected to a life that makes sense and a difference in the world. These eudemonic values (expressing the meaningful life) constitute a crucial third pillar in the justification of nature conservation. Important policy implications are explored, e.g. with respect to public discourse and the encounter with nature in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mainstreaming biodiversity across political sectors and levels is a central challenge to conserving global biodiversity. This article introduces biodiversity policy integration (BPI) as an analytical approach for assessing the ecological performance of nonenvironmental sectors using the following criteria: inclusion, operationalization, coherence, capacity and weighting. To date, we know little about the barriers and enabling factors for integrating biodiversity into sector policies in resource intensive economies of the Global South. BPI in Peruvian political sectors of Agriculture and Irrigation, Economy and Finance, Energy and Mining, Production and Fishery, and Communication and Transport were analyzed based on sector strategies, related legal and strategic documents as well as qualitative expert interviews. While sectors commit to biodiversity conservation in general terms, a weak operationalization of biodiversity targets and low institutional capacity results in ineffective policy. Specific targets and indicators are not yet incorporated into sector strategies, national development planning, the evaluation of impact assessments or budget allocation. Biodiversity policies remain disconnected from the sectors' policy practices, which undermines the potential of reducing harmful incentives (Aichi target 3) and maintaining production within sustainable limits (Aichi target 4). Based on the results I identify the framing of sector‐specific targets, favorable actor constellations and adaptive institutional learning arrangements as key elements for improving BPI. Facilitating agents, such as the environmental Ministry or intersectoral commissions, play a central role in generating ownership of biodiversity objectives in sector policy‐making and supporting institutional learning processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem services (ES) is an important approach to biodiversity protection in political rhetoric and policy practice, but it is also highly contested. This paper analyzes the introduction of ES in Swedish environmental policy and how it is contested by key stakeholders and discusses its implications for biodiversity governance. The results show that although ES is widely accepted on an abstract and conceptual level, critical features and functions are highly contested. These primarily concern the valuation of nature, appropriateness of different policy instruments, and institutional structures. The paper concludes that while the controversy surrounding ES fills an important role by reinvigorating debate and stimulating reflections on biodiversity loss, it also illustrates how ES is used to further particular values and beliefs and to challenge traditional biodiversity-protecting strategies. Understanding these policy controversies is central to addressing the challenges of transforming the promises of ES into practical policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of liability and redress with regard to transboundary damage to biological diversity was one of the topics of discussion during the negotiation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress (NKL Supplementary Protocol) is a progressive addition for this. This paper aims to seek the possibility to ratify and implement the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress, and to explore whether the legal design could be adopted in several issues. According to the present progress in national regulations, Indonesia has already provided relevant provisions that could benefit the implementation of the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity compensation policy programs such as offsetting are increasingly being expanded to the marine realm. We reviewed the literature on biodiversity offsets and related compensatory policy to determine where marine offset policies occur. We also identified the most important differences between marine and terrestrial systems that are likely to have implications for how offsetting is conducted. We found that 77 nations had compensatory policies that enabled the use of offsets in the marine environment. Two important differences between marine and terrestrial offsets emerged: (1) biophysical differences, such as greater marine connectivity, lower likelihood of restoration success, and data paucity, and (2) social or governance differences, such as a lack of private ownership and a greater probability of leakage. We conclude that without better evaluation and innovation, it is premature to conclude that marine offsets can be effective. The lessons learned from the development of terrestrial offsets provide an opportunity to improve their application to marine ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity offsetting is a highly debated topic in biodiversity governance. On the one hand, offsetting provides a promising new conservation tool that can make the loss of ecological values visible and increasing conservation funding. On the other hand, increased role of market mechanisms and private actors poses a risk of commodifying nature or failing to meet the ecological outcome. Thus, offsetting can also be considered as an ethically problematic shift in nature conservation. Despite such controversies, biodiversity offsetting is an increasingly important biodiversity policy instrument globally. There is considerable variation in the types of offsetting policies adopted in different countries. However, the political debates related to offsetting policymaking have rarely been analyzed. To gain a more nuanced understanding on how these controversies can influence the adoption and formulation of offsetting policies, we analyzed the formal introduction of biodiversity offsetting policy in the Nature Conservation Act in Finland. We applied frame analysis on the statements issued during the public hearing process to understand how stakeholders, public administration and active citizens perceive biodiversity offsetting. We identified four frames promoting varying implementation of the offsetting system. All the frames indicated that biodiversity offsetting was generally a welcomed addition to Finnish biodiversity policy. However, the frames were contradictory regarding the goal of offsetting, the level of regulation and the role of authorities and markets in their implementation, which can result in varying conservation outcomes. The debate resulted in slight emphasis of the pro-business perspective. A voluntary offsetting system was adopted. • Voluntary biodiversity offsetting was added into Finnish Nature Conservation Act. • Stakeholders' frames on biodiversity offsetting were analyzed. • Offsetting was viewed as a useful tool for business, planning and conservation. • Different purposes promoted of different kinds of offsetting systems. • More attention on the offsetting politics is needed to enable ecological benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deadwood provides key habitats for a variety of forest species. Thereby, not only deadwood quantity, but also its quality (dimensions and decay stages) as well as its spatial distribution is of importance for the presence of specific species, but assessments of these properties are rare. We provide a comprehensive analysis of deadwood characteristics in seven Norway spruce ( Picea abies ) dominated natural forest reserves in Swiss mountain regions, with a particular focus on lying deadwood. On average, the reserves featured lying deadwood volumes of 80 ± 23 m 3 /ha (range 1–343 m 3 /ha), generally consisting of large dimensions and advanced decomposition stages, two features particularly important for saproxylic species. Standing deadwood volumes averaged 32 ± 23 m 3 /ha (range 2–124 m 3 /ha). These values of deadwood quantity and quality are comparable to or even higher than in other deciduous and coniferous forest reserves across Europe. With respect to the spatial distribution of deadwood, we found two patterns of tree fall: (1) wind disturbances resulted in uniformly oriented lying deadwood (i.e., logs having similar orientation), and (2) small-scale, stand-internal mortality causing rather randomly oriented logs. Traces of former management are still visible in the study plots, and the investigated forest reserves do not feature the characteristics of virgin forests yet. Nevertheless, our results are helpful to elaborate and examine biodiversity strategies with respect to targeted deadwood levels in managed forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the conflict among regimes concerning Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) under the Nagoya Protocol of the Convention on Biological Diversity, including viruses under the framework governed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Nagoya Protocol considers public health concerns through Article 8(b), which mandates parties to be alert to present or imminent emergencies that threaten or damage human, animal or plant health when legislating over access and benefit sharing.

Ecological compensation (EC) is being explored as a policy instrument for the European Union’s ‘No Net Loss of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ initiative. EC is commonly associated with the Polluter-Pays Principle, but we propose the Developer-Pays Principle as a more comprehensive principle. Safeguards that are relevant to local and national contexts are needed when addressing social-ecological resilience in the face of risks associated with EC. The operationalisation of EC in Sweden is assessed through two case studies: the E12 highway and Mertainen mine. The institutional design and implementation procedures are investigated through semi-structured interviews as well as an analysis of legal and other written documents. Using a multi-level governance framework, we examine four key disputed issues within compensation. Our results suggest that (i) Risk of a license-to-trash can be minimised; (ii) Complementary quantitative and qualitative ecological valuation methods are needed to achieve additionality and No Net Loss; (iii) Compensation pools may be a promising strategy to secure land availability; and (iv) Social safeguards are vital for EC in high-income countries as well, where they are currently understudied. We conclude that EC cannot be the main instrument for nature conservation, but rather complementary to a strong legal framework that protects biodiversity and ecosystems in addition to the sustained and equitable benefits of ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wolves are protected by law in both the United States ( US) and European Union ( EU). These laws restrict the harming or killing of individual members of protected species, but allow it in selective circumstances, such as when killing some individuals would benefit the species. In both unions, some states have argued that allowing the public hunting of wolves would in fact benefit the species by improving social tolerance for wolves, a claim that is currently the subject of controversy among scientists. In the absence of clear evidence that hunting is favourable for wolf populations, US courts have repeatedly struck down policies that allowed it. While hunting wolves to achieve their social acceptability is likely to also violate EU law, the EU court has not yet resolved the question and hunting for social acceptance continues in some Member States, such as Sweden and Finland. This article contrasts these legal responses to social 'tolerance hunting' and argues that the Habitats Directive should not be interpreted to allow tolerance hunting of strictly protected species. It then uses the contrasting legal situations to engage with the claim that the EU has become more 'precautionary' than the US on environmental matters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pursuing economic targets of job creation, growth, and innovation while tackling global environmental challenges, has long been seen as impossible. However, any long-term economic competitiveness and security depends on the extent to which natural resources are used sustainably. Therefore, the European Union is investing in nature-based solutions to achieve this double goal. The difference between the prevailing economic model and a sustainable resource use has long seemed insurmountable. While many debates are paralyzed or radicalized, nature-based solutions could offer a transition path with realistic, incremental steps toward a sustainable economy as envisaged by the EU Horizon 2020 vision. This paper outlines the basics of a nature-based scenario for Europe, and proposes criteria to focus, guide, and evaluate the implementation of nature-based solutions, geared at production of wide socioeconomic benefits, provision of jobs, and low-carbon technology innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal communities in Kenya are increasingly adopting Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) and by 2015, 24 had been established. Coastal communities perceive the objectives of these LMMAs are to primarily conserve fisheries and marine resources and secure alternative sources of income. In this study we examined if there are generic approaches in how these LMMAs were established, that can be used for developing national guidelines as well as have application to other locations in the western Indian Ocean region. The study involved a literature review of all documents available on the LMMAs and key informant interviews. We found LMMAs in Kenya go through five phases to become fully established and operational: i) Conceptualisation, ii) Inception, iii) Implementation, iv) Monitoring and management; and v) Ongoing Adaptive Management. We defined each stage by the activities that are taking place which determine how far a LMMA has reached in its development. The final phase is when a LMMA exists sustainably in a continuous learning process. Out of 19 LMMAs assessed, four had reached the fifth stage of ‘Ongoing Adaptive Management’ though not all elements of this stage were fully operational. The Kenyan model differs from the widely known Pacific model of four phases due to an additional initial ‘Conceptualisation’ phase. Our results illustrate the need for full acceptance of the LMMA concept by stakeholders before progressing to the ‘Inception phase.’ When this step was missed many LMMAs stalled due to unaddressed training needs, incomplete involvement of stakeholders and lack of financial resources, management and operational structures. These five phases provide a useful guide for communities and other stakeholders to follow when developing LMMAs, or for those that are established and need guidance on their operations. Common factors that we found associated with the development of LMMAs were informed and committed community members, past training in community based marine resource management, a supportive legal framework, external funding and opportunities for sharing LMMA information. The occurrence of an exchange visit to an existing LMMA was invariably the trigger for a community to establish their own LMMA. Weaknesses were seen in poor enforcement on the water and inadequate ongoing education and training. Further there was very little understanding of the costs of establishing and running a LMMA, therefore long term financial sustainability was problematic. Thus, although the rapid increase in the number of LMMAs in Kenya is a conservation success, their effectiveness will be thwarted if enforcement and financial management are not addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducing new biodiversity policies raises questions ripe for political analysis, such as: (i) How effective are these policies on the ground? (ii) Which actors benefit from them the most? The latter question implies that potential beneficiaries of the policies will exist within both civil society and the state agencies commissioned to formulate, implement, and evaluate them. These policy tasks, assigned to specific agencies, have an influence on the organizations’ strength. According to bureaucratic politics theory, state agencies in a certain issue area will compete for assigned policy tasks, which in turn increase their position, reputation, and power within the government. In developing countries, foreign donor agencies, with their own policies and influential development projects, also get involved in this power struggle. Hence, this study focuses on analyzing which state agencies gain power vis-à-vis other relevant agencies in forest biodiversity policy, using Bangladesh as an example. In doing so, we combine the concepts of power elements from power theory with bureaucratic politics theory and the policy process . We use qualitative in-depth data from 102 domestic and donor-driven forest biodiversity initiatives in Bangladesh from 1992 to 2013. For each initiative, we identify all strategic tasks assigned to specific agencies, group the tasks into three categories, and make inferences about the related power gains for a specific bureaucracy. The results indicate that individual bureaucracies may gain and lose power over time due to the observed forest biodiversity policy initiatives. Among them, for example, the line and key ministries (e.g., forest, planning, and finance) outside of the forestry professionals gain coercive power over time. However, the technical forest- and environment-related agencies (i.e., forest and environment departments) gain incentive and informational power, but lose coercive power over time. Our analysis suggests that in policy practice knowledge about the distribution of power among the multiple competing bureaucracies in a specific issue area is crucial as it sets the limits and directions of a country’s policy. Theory-wise, we conclude that not only are the line ministries responsible for a specific issue area crucial coalition partners in any policy intervention, but that some key bureaucracies hold the crucial power resources necessary for any successful intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]